Conduit openings are required in a building separation to allow different types of conduits to pass from one room to another within a building. By way of example, the floor of a building will include an opening through which cables, telephone wires and pipes etc. are fitted into the building. These conduit openings must be provided with means to seal them off in the event of a fire and smoke situation. Otherwise the openings form open flow channels for the fire and smoke to pass from level to level through a building.
It is known in the industry to provide fire and smoke blocking means at a conduit access through a building separation. However, the known methods of providing such blockage do not adapt themselves particularly well to adding further conduit through the access.
For example, it is known to fit cable and telephone wire through a blocking member at a conduit access. Specific openings are provided in the blocking member to accommodate each cable or wire passing through the opening. These openings are dimensioned at substantially the same diameter as the cable and wire passing through the opening. Accordingly, the only way to later fit further cable and wire through the access is by removing the blocking member to provide further openings for the cable and wire to be added. This is a time consuming job and results in a potentially hazardous situation during the time that the blocking member needs to be removed from the access to add the new openings.